Card index



Jan. 3, 1928.

R. A. PICARD CARD INDEX Filed June 11, 1923 IN VENTOR m/wm a. BY

M V WM A TTORNE Y5 Patented .lan. 3, 192%.

RICHARD A. PICARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CARD INDEX.

Application filed June 11, 1923. Serial No. 644,608.

This invention relates to card indexes. In an application Ser. No. 596,577, filed Gctober 24th, 1922, applicant has illustrated and described a card index which is constructed and arranged so that the cards may be supported in a substantially vertical position and used as a vertical index and that the cards may be shifted to a substantially fiat position, the cards then assuming a relativelyoverlapping relation so that the cards may be used as a visible index. Certain features of the present invention relates particularly to a card index of the type shown and described in this application.

The principal objects of the present invention are to improve the construction and mode of operation of cardindexes of the type referred to above and. to produce an index of this character which is simplified in construction and highly convenient and efficient in use and in which a card may be quickly and easily inserted in or removed from any desired point in the index.

Certain features of the invention are not limited to an index of the type shown in this application but may be employed with advantage in an index in which the cards are intended to be used only as alvisible index. Tn visible indexes, it is often desirable to insert a new card or tojremove a card at a certain point in the index, or to shift a card from one point to another. In the visible indexes-heretofore produced,;the shifting of a card or the insertion or removal of a card are comparatively complicated operations. requiring some skill and take a greatde'al of labor and time. This of course reduces considerably the efiiciency of the index system.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction and mode of operation of the card-holding devices for visible indexes and to produce card-holding devices so constructed and arranged that a card may be inserted in or removed from any given point in the index or transferred from one point to another much more easily and readily than can be done in the indexes of this type heretofore produced.

With these andother objects in view, the

invention comprises the novel and improved constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention will be clearly understood 1 from the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention in its preferred form and from the following detailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of an index embodying the invention illustratiing the same when arranged as a visible in- Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the index with parts arranged for use as a vertical index;

Fig. 4 is a detail view partly in front elevation and partly in section. illustrating particularly one of the card-holding devices;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. d illustratinga somewhat difierent construction, and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the parts shown in Fig. 6. I

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawing, the index comprises a series of cards indicated at 2 contained in a suitable-holder indicated asa whole at d. The holder preferably consists of a drawer arranged to slide in a suitable casing. not shown. In the present construction, the drawer comprises a rear wall 6 and a cross-piece 8 at the forward end of the drawer and a pair of parallel rods 10 connecting the cross-piece 8 and the rear wall 6 of the drawer, the ends of'these rods being inserted in suitable holes in the cross piece and in the rear wall. The drawer also comprises a forward end wall 11 which forms the front of the drawer and side pieces 1% connecting the end walls.

The cards 2 consist of plain sheets of card material preferably of such a character that they may be inserted in atypewriter so that the matter to be indexed may be typed thereon. These cards are mounted on suitable holders carried by the rods and arranged to space .the lower edges of the cards at a predetermined: distance from each other. These holders are so constructed that the cards are arranged to swing about axes adjacent to and substantially parallel with thelr lower edges. Thus the cards may be placed .in asubstantially vertical position and the clipsl4 is mounted a pivot member 16 preferably 'made of wire and bent in U-shape, as shown in Fig. 4. The arms of the pivot member 16 pass through suitable openings 18 and 20 formed in the spring clip 14, and the outer ends of these arms are bent outwardly to prevent the pivot member from being withdrawn from the spring clip. The rods 10 are somewhat flattened in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 4, and the arms oi the pivot member embrace the rod so that the contact of said member with the lateral faces of the rod will prevent each of the card-holding devices from turning about the rod. Upon the transverse portionof the U-shaped pivot member 16 is pivoted .a card clamp or holder 22.. Each of these cardclamps is, preferably made of resilient spring metal and may be arranged to hold {a card by the frictional engagement of the opposite sides of the clamp, between which the card is inserted, with the card. As shown in the drawing, the opposed portions of thecard clamp are each provided with inwardly extending projections 24 stampedup from the sheet metal -to assist in securely holding the card in the clamp.

lit will be noted that in the present construction two independent holding devices are provided for each card, each of the holding devices being independently mounted and slidable upon the respective guide rods 10. The free ends of each of the clips 14 are normally spaced from each other a distance less than the transverse diameter of. the guide rod 10 upon which it is mounted and the ends ofthe clip are bent outwardly. as shown. formation sotha-t a clip may be placed upon one of the guide rods by placing the clip with its free ends engaging the upper surface ofthe rod and forcing the clip downwardly. The free ends of the clip will be The'guide rod is of roundedspread by their engagement with the rod and will be restored to their normal position whenthe clip'is forced sufliciently far over the rod. In a similar manner, the clip may be removed from the rod merely by grasping the clip or the card-holding clamp and forcing the sanieupwardly. Thus the card-holding devices may bereadily removed from or placedon the guide rods 10, either together or independently.

In the use of this device, a card is inserted in two of the card-holding clamps 22 respectively mounted uponthe opposed guide rods 10. The pivotal connection between the clamps and the pivot member 16 allows the cards each to swing about an axis adjacent 'to, and substantially parallel with, its lower edge. The lower edges of the cards. are spaced from each other by the engagement of the spring clips 14 with. each other, as shown'in Fig.2. Thus the cards may be placed in a substantially vertical position to allow the index to be used as a vertical index, or the cards may be placed in a substantially flat position for use as a visible index. When the cards are located in the latter position, the margin of each card projects'a substantially uniform distance beyond the margin of the card immediately to the rear of the same on account of the spacing of the lower edges of the cards. The pivot member 16 is preferably mounted in the spring clip 14 so that it can have a certain amount of vertical play therein, thereby allowing the cards to assume a more nearly fiat position.

To support the, cards when the index is usedas a vertical index, a support 26 is slidably mounted on the guide rods 10 and is arranged to support the rear card of the series. This support is bent to. the shape in cross section clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The support is held in position on the guide rods by means of a bent leaf spring 28 interposed between two pins 30 mounted on the base of the support 26 and a lever 32 carried by said support. The ends-of the springlate 28 are arranged to engage the guide rods 1Q when the spring is in a released con- -'dition.' The lever 32 is bent to the shape clearly shown in Fig.2 and the lower end thereof is provided with a relatively small projection 3t engaging in a suitable opening in the rear part of the support 26. The lever is held inposition on the support by means of the stud 36 mounted on said support and loosely engaging in 'an opening in the lever. The upper part of t e lever is nor mally spacedfrom the corresponding part of the support, as clearly'shown in Fig. 2. When it is desired to release the spring-plate 28 from the rods 10 to allow the support to be moved along the rods, the operator grasps the upper part of the lever 32 and swingsthe .same forwardly, The engagement of the lever withlthe central part of the springplate 28 during this movement will bend the spring-plate sufficiently to release the ends thereof from the rods 10. When the support 26 has been located in the desired poport 26 and is arranged to rest upon the rear card of the series, as shownin Fig. 2. When the index' is used as a vertical index, the plate 38 is swung upwardl to the position close to the upper part of t e support 26.

To enable the card index to beused as a visible index, the front 11 of the drawer is pivoted to the base by' hinges 41 so that it can swing forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. The drawer front is held in a vertical position by means of a latch 42- secured to one side of the drawer and arranged to engage the latchplate 44 securedto the drawer ront.

In the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7,

the card-holding devices comprise a spring clip 46 similar to the spring clip 14 shown in Figures 1 to 4: inclusive. In the latter construction, however, there is no intermediate pivot member corresponding to the pivot:

member 16 shownv in Figures 1 to 4 but the card holder or clamp indicated at 48 is p1voted directly to the clip 46. The card clamp in this construction consists of a wire bent to the shape shown in Fig. 6, the wire passing through suitable openings 50 formed in the clip 46. The card is inserted between the two adjacent parts of the card-clamp and that part of the clamp between the openings 50 in the clip "46' forms apivot for the clamp. In this case the guide rod 10 is flattened. as

shown in Fig. 6, so that the engagement of that part. of the card-clamp between the openings 50 with therod will prevent turnmg of the card-holding devices abqut the ro Having explained the nature and object of the invention and having specifically de-" scribed a construction embodying the inven-' tion in its preferred form, whatisclaimed 1S 2- l. A card index having, in combination, a support having, spaced guides arranged'substantially parallel, independent card.-holding devices for each card slidably mounted on the respective guides, and arranged to allow the cards to lie substantially flatin superposed relation,'and spacing. means for spacing said card-holding devices to cause a portion of the margin of each card to be exposed suficient to contain material to be indexed when the cards are located in superposed relation.

2. A card index having, in combination, a

support having spaced'guides arranged sub-- 7 stantially parallel, independent card-holding devices for each card removably mounted on the respective guides and arranged to allow the cards to lie substantially flat in superposed relation and to slide thereon, and spacing meansfor-spacing said card-holding devices to cause a portion of the margin of each card to be exposedsuflicient to contain material to be-indexed when-the cards are located in superposed relation.

3. A card index having, in combination, a support having spaced guides arranged substantially paralleh'inde endent carriers slidably mounted upon sald guides and cardholders pivotally mounted on said carriers and arranged to allow the cards to lie substantially flat in superposed relation and spaced from each other by the contact ofcards to lie substantially flat in superposed relation and means for spacing the cards Qfromeach other to cause a portion of the margin of each card suflicient to contain material to be indexed to be exposed when thecards are located in superposed relation.

5. A card index having, in combination, a support having spaced guides, independent card-holding devices for each card mounted upon said guides, and arranged. to allow the cards to lie substantially flat in superposed relation, and means for spacing the margins of the cards adjacent said guides to cause a portion of the margin of each card sufficient to contain material to be indexed to be exposed when the-cards are located in superposed relation.

6. A card index having, in combination, a

support having a guide rod, a series of carriers slidably mounted on said rod, and cardholders pivoted to the several carriers and arranged to allow the cards to lie substantiallyflatin superposed relation, and means 'to space the innermargins of the cards to cause aportion of the margin of each card suflicient to contain material to be indexed to be exposed when'the cards are located in superposed relation.

,7. A card index having, in combination, two parallel guide rods, a series of carriers slida bly mounted on the rods, and card holders pivoted to the several carriers' and arranged to allow the cards to lie substantially fiat insuperposed relations, and means to space the inner margins of the cards to cause a portion of the margin of each card: sufiicie nt to contain material to beindexed to be exposed when the cards are-located in superposed relations. J

index having, in combination, a

8. A. card tially flat in superposed relations, and means to space the inner margins of the cards to cause a portion of the margin of each card sufficient to contain material to be indexed to be exposed when the cards are located in 10 superposed relations.

9. A card index having, in combination, a guide member, a sheet metal clip bent about said guide member, and a'bent Wire cardholder pivoted to said clip;

Signed at New York, New York, this 6th day of June 1923.

RICHARD A. PICARD. 

